Matt Kuchar Reflects on the Future on the PGA Tour
Matt Kuchar, after completing his nineteenth consecutive season on the PGA Tour, finds himself at a crossroads. He finished in 118th place in the FedEx Cup, a position that, in previous years, would have secured his full card. However, due to changes in the circuit, which now reduces the cut to the top 100 instead of 125, Kuchar faces a different scenario. The next option for the 47-year-old golfer would be to use one of his career earnings exemptions, but the situation is more complex than it seems. The PGA Tour has evolved since Kuchar joined in 2002. Now, the schedule includes eight signature events, four majors, The Players Championship, and three FedEx Cup playoff events. Kuchar is not qualified for any of them in 2026.The uncertainty lies in whether his conditional status, being in 118th place in the FedEx Cup, will allow him to participate in a similar number of tournaments compared to using a career earnings exemption. According to PGA Tour estimates, players ranked between 101st and 110th in the FedEx Cup could participate in approximately 16 of the 19 tournaments, in addition to all FedEx Cup Fall events, except the one in Japan. Kuchar is eight positions below that group, making him vulnerable to relegation if he doesn’t perform well at the start of the season. Despite this, Kuchar has time to consider his two exemptions. Thanks to his outstanding career, he is ranked 15th in career earnings, with $61,538,738. This gives him room to wait another year before using the exemption for the top 25, without this representing a great economic loss for him. Kuchar will have to make a decision in the next month, before the Sony Open in Hawaii. This year, Kuchar only achieved one top 10, a tie for fifth place at the John Deere Classic, but only missed two cuts in 18 participations.I don’t know how many starts I’ll have. I don’t know if using an exemption will give me different opportunities. It’s complicated. It won’t get you into any marquee events.
Matt Kuchar
It’s not the 2025 I was expecting. It was a frustrating year. I think I only missed two cuts, but I didn’t manage to string together weeks where I played well and also putted well.
Matt Kuchar
